Se vs Le in Spanish: When Le Becomes Se, and the Other Se
Le (plural les) is the indirect object pronoun: “to him”, “to her”, “to you” (usted) or “for” them: Le di el libro (I gave him the book). When le or les comes right before lo, la, los or las, it changes to se: Se lo di (I gave it to him), never le lo di.
That replacement is the only point where se and le compete. Every other se you meet (se lava, se abrazan, se vende, se me olvidó) is a different word doing a different job: reflexive, reciprocal, passive, impersonal or “accidental”. This page shows how to tell them apart with a quick decision table, real sentences for each case, the regional habits you will hear (se los dije, le for plurals, leísmo), where the pronouns go, and a practice set with answers.
Se or le? A decision table
| What you see or want to say | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| “to/for him, her, you (usted)”, no lo/la/los/las after it | le | Le escribí un correo. (I wrote him/her an email.) |
| “to/for them, you all (ustedes)”, no lo/la/los/las after it | les | Les mandé las fotos. (I sent them the photos.) |
| indirect object + lo/la/los/las together | se + lo/la/los/las | Se las mandé. (I sent them to them.) |
| the subject does it to himself or herself | reflexive se | Se afeita cada mañana. (He shaves every morning.) |
| two or more people do it to each other | reciprocal se | Se abrazaron. (They hugged each other.) |
| a verb that always comes with a pronoun | pronominal se | Se queja de todo. (He complains about everything.) |
| “things are done”, no doer named | passive se (verb agrees with the thing) | Se venden pisos. (Flats for sale.) |
| “people/one” in general, no specific subject | impersonal se (verb in the singular) | Se vive bien aquí. (Life is good here.) |
| something happened to someone by accident | se + le (or me, te, nos, les) | Se le cayó el móvil. (He dropped his phone.) |
A fast test: if you can replace the se with “to him / to her / to you / to them” and a lo, la, los or las follows it, it is the se that stands for le or les. If not, it is one of the other kinds.
Le and les: the indirect object
Le and les point to the person (or thing) that receives something or is affected by the action: the one you give, tell, send, show, buy or ask something to or for. Le is singular and les plural; neither changes for gender, so le can be him, her or formal you.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Le di el libro a Juan. | I gave Juan the book. |
| Le compré un regalo a mi madre. | I bought my mother a present. |
| Les enseñé las fotos a mis amigos. | I showed my friends the photos. |
| ¿Le traigo la carta, señora? | Shall I bring you the menu, madam? |
| Les expliqué el problema a los profesores. | I explained the problem to the teachers. |
| Le pregunté la hora a un señor. | I asked a man the time. |
| Le puse sal a la sopa. | I put salt in the soup. |
| Les cambié el agua a las plantas. | I changed the plants’ water. |
Notice that Spanish usually keeps le even when the person is named: Le di el libro a Juan. This doubling is normal and natural; with a pronoun after a it is required: Le di el libro a ella, never Di el libro a ella. For the full set of indirect pronouns (me, te, le, nos, os, les), see the indirect object pronoun chart.
Se lo, se la, se los, se las: when le becomes se
Spanish does not allow le or les directly before lo, la, los or las. In that position they always become se, in every tense and every country. The indirect pronoun still comes first, then the direct one.
| Step 1: full sentence | Step 2: replace the thing | Step 3: le/les becomes se |
|---|---|---|
| Le di el libro a Juan. | Se lo di. I gave it to him. | |
| Le compré la bici a mi hijo. | Se la compré. I bought it for him. | |
| Les enseñé los dibujos a mis padres. | Se los enseñé. I showed them to them. | |
| Le mandé las flores a Marta. | Se las mandé. I sent them to her. | |
| ¿Le explicó el plan a usted? | ¿Se lo explicó? Did he explain it to you? |
Because se can mean him, her, you or them, add a + a pronoun when the context is not clear: Se lo di a ella (I gave it to her), Se lo di a ustedes (I gave it to you all).
Real conversation uses this constantly:
- ¿Le has dicho la verdad a tu jefe? No, todavía no se la he dicho. Have you told your boss the truth? No, I haven’t told him yet.
- ¿Quién les compró las entradas a los niños? Se las compró su abuela. Who bought the kids the tickets? Their grandmother bought them for them.
- Necesito el informe. ¿Me lo puedes mandar? Ya se lo mandé a tu compañera. I need the report. Can you send it to me? I already sent it to your colleague.
- Si te pide el coche, no se lo prestes. If he asks you for the car, don’t lend it to him.
Only le and les change. Me lo, te lo, nos lo and os lo stay as they are: Me lo dio (He gave it to me). There is more practice with these pairs on the page about double object pronouns.
Where se lo goes
- Before a conjugated verb: Se lo digo. No se lo digas.
- Attached to an infinitive or gerund, or before the helping verb (both are correct): Quiero dárselo = Se lo quiero dar; Estoy explicándoselo = Se lo estoy explicando.
- Attached to an affirmative command: Dáselo (Give it to him), Dígaselo usted (Tell him, formal), Pídeselas (Ask her for them).
When the pronouns are attached, you usually need a written accent to keep the stress in place: dar → dárselo, explicando → explicándoselo, da → dáselo. The page on object pronoun placement covers the details.
What you will hear: “se los dije”
In much of Latin America people often move the plural from “them” (the people) onto lo: Ya se los dije meaning “I already told you all (it)”. The standard form is Ya se lo dije, because “it” is singular. The se los version is very common in everyday speech and you should understand it, but in writing and exams use se lo when the thing is singular.
The other kinds of se (where le does not fit)
These uses of se have nothing to do with “to him” or “to her”, so replacing them with le would change or break the sentence.
Reflexive se: doing it to yourself
Se lava (he washes himself), se viste (she gets dressed), se mira en el espejo (he looks at himself in the mirror). Compare Le lava la cara al niño (She washes the child’s face): with le, someone else receives the action. The other persons use me, te, nos, os: me lavo, te vistes, nos levantamos. See Spanish reflexive pronouns.
A trap: reflexive se can also stand before lo or la. ¿Se lavó el pelo? Sí, se lo lavó. (Did she wash her hair? Yes, she washed it.) Here se means “herself”, not “to her” from le. The meaning tells you: she washed her own hair.
Reciprocal se: each other
Se quieren mucho (They love each other very much), Se escriben todas las semanas (They write to each other every week), Se dieron la mano (They shook hands). Only plural subjects can be reciprocal. Add el uno al otro or mutuamente if you need to remove the “themselves” reading.
Pronominal verbs: se is part of the verb
Some verbs always come with a pronoun, and se has no separate meaning: quejarse (to complain), arrepentirse (to regret), atreverse (to dare), darse cuenta (to realise). Others change meaning with it: ir (to go) vs irse (to leave), dormir (to sleep) vs dormirse (to fall asleep), llamar (to call) vs llamarse (to be called). So Se llama Ana is “Her name is Ana”, while Le llamo mañana is “I’ll call him tomorrow” (in Spain; see leísmo below).
Passive se: things are done
With passive se the thing affected is the grammatical subject, so the verb agrees with it in number: Se vende piso (Flat for sale), Se venden pisos (Flats for sale), Se publicaron los resultados (The results were published), Se firmó el acuerdo (The agreement was signed). The verb only agrees in number; Spanish verbs have no gender. For other ways to make the passive, see passive voice rules.
Impersonal se: people in general
Impersonal se has no subject at all, and the verb stays in the third person singular: Se vive bien en esta ciudad (Life is good in this city), Se come muy bien aquí (The food is very good here), ¿Cómo se dice “cat” en español? (How do you say “cat” in Spanish?). It is also used with people introduced by a: Se busca a los responsables (They are looking for those responsible), Se invitó a todos los vecinos (All the neighbours were invited). Because a los responsables is not a subject, the verb stays singular.
Accidental se: se + le together
For unplanned events Spanish uses se + an indirect pronoun + verb: Se me olvidó (I forgot), Se te cayeron las llaves (You dropped your keys), Se le rompió el móvil (His phone broke), Se les acabó la gasolina (They ran out of petrol). Here se and le appear side by side, each doing its own job: se marks the unplanned event and le shows who it happened to. Note the order, always se first: se le, never le se.
Le for “him”: leísmo and le for plurals
Two habits blur the line between le and other pronouns, and you will meet both:
- Leísmo. In much of Spain, le is used as a direct object for a man: A Juan le vi ayer instead of lo vi (I saw him yesterday). The Real Academia Española accepts this use for a male person in the singular, while lo is used throughout Latin America and is never wrong. See le vs lo.
- Le for a plural. In casual speech many people say Le dije a mis padres instead of Les dije a mis padres. It is common, but in careful speech and writing use les for plural people.
Common mistakes
| Instead of | Say | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Le lo di. | Se lo di. | le becomes se before lo. |
| Se le di. (meaning “I gave it to him”) | Se lo di. | You need the direct pronoun lo; se already stands for le. |
| Lo se di. | Se lo di. | Indirect (se) always comes before direct (lo). |
| Se vende casas. | Se venden casas. | Passive se: the verb agrees with casas. |
| Se arregla coches. | Se arreglan coches. | Same rule: plural thing, plural verb. |
| Di el regalo a ella. | Le di el regalo a ella. | With a + pronoun, the le is required. |
| Le se cayó. | Se le cayó. | se always comes first. |
| daselo, dandoselo | dáselo, dándoselo | Attached pronouns usually need an accent. |
Practice
Choose le, les or se, or rewrite the sentence with pronouns. Answers below.
- ____ escribí una postal a mi abuela.
- Le escribí una postal a mi abuela. → ____ ____ escribí.
- ¿Las llaves? Ya ____ ____ di a tu hermano.
- Mis hermanos ____ pelean por todo.
- ____ alquilan habitaciones. (sign on a building)
- A Pedro ____ ____ olvidó la cartera.
- ____ mandé un mensaje a mis compañeros.
- Quiero dar el regalo a mi madre. → Quiero ________.
- ¿Cómo ____ dice “handsome” en español?
- Correct the mistake: Se vende coches usados.
Answers: 1. Le. 2. Se la escribí. 3. se las. 4. se (reciprocal). 5. Se (passive). 6. se le (accidental). 7. Les. 8. dárselo (or Se lo quiero dar). 9. se (impersonal). 10. Se venden coches usados.
Quick answers
Why does le change to se?
Spanish simply does not combine le or les with lo, la, los or las. The sequence developed historically into se lo, and today it is a fixed rule with no exceptions.
Is se always a replacement for le?
No. Only the se directly before lo/la/los/las that means “to him / her / you / them” replaces le or les. Reflexive, reciprocal, passive, impersonal and accidental se are different uses.
How do I know who se lo refers to?
From context, or by adding a él, a ella, a usted, a ellos, a ellas or a ustedes: Se lo di a ella.
Is “se los dije” correct?
It is very common in Latin American speech when “them” refers to the people, but the standard form is se lo dije when the thing told is singular.
What is the difference between “se le” and “se lo”?
Se lo is “it to him/her” (le changed to se, plus lo). Se le is the accidental or impersonal se followed by le: Se le cayó (He dropped it).
